A. Holiness
The first and most important step in breaking demonic strongholds is to walk in holiness.
Spiritual authority is given to those who commit to living “holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat (2 Peter 3:11-12 NIV)
"To everyone who overcomes-who to the very end keeps on doing things that please me-I will give power over the nations.” (Rev 2:26-27 TLB)
B. Praise and Worship
Reapply an Even Greater Intensity of Delight
The Bible also says, "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies..." Deut. 28:47,48). Nurturing joy and gladness toward God will help keep you from bondage to the enemies that have been your downfall.
Nothing does more to block the enemy's advancement than living each day with a thankful heart in praise and worship of our glorious Lord. The enemy is always trying to distract and ensnare. He wants to lure us away from worshipping God. His primary method is through unforgiveness.
C. Watch
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)
Watchfulness is the first line of defense against the enemy. In daily life, situations arise that may be a direct attack of the enemy, such as a driver of a car that cuts you off and causes anger to well up in you, or your spouse says or does something to hurt or irritate you. Being self-controlled and alert in prayer will help keep you from falling into temptation. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance . . . ." (Eph 6)
D. Resist
When you feel the pressure of temptation,
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7 NIV)
Resisting the devil so that he will flee from you is, however, more than just saying "no." There is a condition that must first be met for the devil to flee from you. You must first "submit" yourself to God.
E. Repent
Confess your sins. - Why is the confession of sin so important to your healing? Because sin kills!
"For the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23)
Thank God for forgiving all your sins and iniquities by believing what 1 John 1:9 says –
HE cleanses you from all your sins and iniquities.
Don't BEG for forgiveness; it was already given at the cross. Simply confess and receive forgiveness.
Our job is to confess, and God's job is to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
"If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways and seek my face, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." (Jer 13:27)
Our sins destroy "things" around us, our land, homes, etc. There is a connection between sins and circumstances, sins, and health (2 Chron 7:14; Deut 28; Jer 5:25).
F. Renounce
Turn from them and renounce the kingdom of darkness.
"When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick." (Matt 8:16)
When you read the Gospels, you discover that about one-fourth of Jesus' ministry was dedicated to casting out evil spirits. He was dealing with normal Jewish people who lived according to the law, paid their tithes, and lived clean lives, yet they had demon spirits that needed to be dealt with.
A Born-Again Christian must not dabble in the occult, or any form of mind control, ESP, Ouija boards, Tarot cards, horoscopes, witchcraft, satanism, etc. If you have participated in any of these things at any time in your life, you must confess this sin and receive God's forgiveness, then RENOUNCE it as you would any other sin.
Develop a perfect hatred toward the sin in you, NOT toward yourself.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Rom 7:18-20 NIV)
G. Take Responsibility
“But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done? "The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Gen 3:9-13NIV)
It's time to stop blaming others for your life. It's time to stop blaming others for how things turned out. Don't justify your sins. Simply say, Here I am Lord. I am here to let you know I know what I have done, thought, and said. I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Name each one and what they have done to you. Admit where you are in life.
Don't run and hide in the bushes any longer. Adam ran into the bush and hid because of His sin. And because he ran and hid from God, look where he ended up? We have a loving heavenly Father that only wants to set us free from everything that hinders us. But we need to take responsibility for our own outcomes, sins, and situations - even if we were the victim. You need to take responsibility from this day forward and then cast them at the feet of Jesus and walk away! Let God heal those past things, leave them there, and move on.
H. Submit Yourself To God
Submitting to God means to lay aside your own personal agendas and aspirations so that you will do His will. By submitting, you are, in essence surrendering all to Him. You are saying, "You know what is best for me," and, "Not my will, but Yours be done."
Spiritual authority is given to those who commit their lives to holiness.
“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat (2 Peter 3:11-12 NIV)
It doesn't matter what someone does to you or why something happened to you. What matters is how you respond to it. Even in those times of suffering, you "should commit" yourself to your "faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:17-19)
You will never be able to “resist the devil” and have complete victory unless you surrender yourself totally and completely to the will of God. Satan finds much pleasure when you don’t forgive, and when there is no reconciliation with those who have hurt you or whom you have hurt.
Repentance is the process of removing those obstacles that keep you from experiencing God’s presence."
“...lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Rom. 13:12-14)
You should repent toward putting on the presence of the Lord. By this, you will be "putting on" the Lord Jesus Christ. Wearing the presence of God as your "armor of light" will help you to "make no provision for the flesh regarding its lusts."
I. Put On The Armor Of God
Each day you are to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:13-18)
1) The Belt of Truth
Let’s take a close look at each piece of armor and see what it covers. First, there is the "belt of truth buckled around your waist." The belt used by the soldiers of Rome was not just to hold their clothes up. It went around their waist and between their legs, covering and protecting their reproductive organs, and was a “work belt” holding their weapons. Paul calls it the "belt of truth." If you want to carry the “tools” of warfare, "hold up" to the wiles of the devil and "reproduce" Christians, then you must base your life upon the truth of God’s Word and live your life both in and by, truth.
Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17 NIV) The Word of God is where truth has its beginning. The work of ministry must begin and operate through truth. Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32 KJV) It is by living your life in truth and honesty that you will be able to set others free. You must guard your testimony with the belt of truth.
2) The Breastplate of Righteousness
Next is the “breastplate of righteousness.” This covered the torso of the body, which contains all of the major organs, including the heart. It is from the heart that the blood of life flows. But also, in a spiritual sense, the heart is the home of love and faith. Jesus said that you are to "Love the Lord" your "God with all" your "heart and with all" your "soul” and with all your “mind” and with all your “strength." (Mark 12:30)
Jesus also taught that a "good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45)
Every day, if you want to live a holy and righteous life, you must put on "righteousness." Living a righteous life is living a life of faith and love. Paul also calls the "breastplate of righteousness" the "breastplate of faith and love." (1 Thessalonians 5:8) If you are to be effective in your daily testimony as a Christian, then you must live righteously through faith and love. This is a conscious and deliberate act on your part. You don't wake up each day overflowing with faith and love. Faith and love are your defense against attacks, whether or not those attacks are in the form of a harsh, cruel word from a loved one or a direct assault from the enemy.
3) The Shoes of Readiness
Following the breastplate comes the "feet fitted with readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace." Roman soldiers wore sandals that protected and supported their feet and ankles. Paul says you are to wear shoes of "readiness." You are always to be prepared to go and share the Gospel with others. This readiness comes from living in peace with one another. You can never be ready to go and share the Gospel if you are not living in peace.
Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27) You are not to be afraid of the evil in your past or even the evil that will come in the future. Finding the real peace offered by Jesus is by actually understanding that He has everything under His control in spite of the circumstances.
4) The Shield of Faith
Next, you are to "take up the shield of faith, with which [you] can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16) The shield was almost as large as the soldier himself and was carried in one hand. This would protect him from an onslaught of flaming arrows and rocks. As the flaming arrows hit the shield, they would burn themselves out as there was nothing to feed the flame. The shield was also used to ward off the blows of an enemy’s sword.
This "shield of faith" can ward off all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Therefore, it is of significant importance that you always take it with us wherever you go, because "Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)
The faith that will protect us and extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one is simply trust. To do this successfully, you must live a life of faith, "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17)
Faith is not a tool that can be used to make God work on your behalf. Each day you must "take up the shield of faith" by entrusting every breath you take to your Savior.
The other major ingredient in successful warfare is faith. Faith is the key to overcoming the world “Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:5 NIV). Jesus said that sometimes the enemy will not be defeated “except by prayer and fasting." (Matt 17:21 NKJV)
5) The Helmet of Salvation
You are now told to "take the helmet of salvation." Paul also calls the helmet "the hope of salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5:8) The helmet was used to protect the head. The head, of course, houses the brain, which controls the whole body—what you speak and hear, as well as what you think. When you put on this helmet, you are saying that your actions, the words you speak and your thought life will be according to "things that accompany salvation." (Hebrews 6:9)
You are to meditate on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable." And, as a Christian, whatever things you "have learned or received or heard" from your study of the Scriptures and the testimony of faithful believers, you should "put it into practice." Then, when you do, "the God of peace" will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
6) The Sword of the Spirit
A soldier would not be complete without a weapon to defend himself, so, next, you take up the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17) There is no defense without a good offense. The sword was used, not just as a weapon to protect, but also to destroy. It had a short, double-edged blade and was designed for close-quarter, one-on-one fighting. A soldier had to spend many years learning to use it effectively. The well-trained soldiers of Rome were able to conquer most of the known world using these unique swords.
If you are going to destroy the works of satan, you must learn to use your unique sword—the Word of God—and study it diligently. No soldier would ever go into battle without having learned how to use his weapons.
As you are trained through the study of the Bible, you learn to use its power to demolish those strongholds that have existed in your life because now you can take captive your every thought and make it obedient to God's word. When you go into these spiritual battles, you fight with weapons that are not of this world.
Your spiritual weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds and “every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” And when you do fight with these “spiritual” weapons, you can then “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
There is, however, one area of the soldier’s body that is left unprotected. The armor wasn’t made to cover the back. Roman soldiers gave no thought to covering their back for two important reasons: First, they were always trained to march forward. There was never any thought of retreat. The soldier was to press on, fighting the enemy face-to-face. And so it must be with us in your “spiritual” battles. You must always confront your enemy face-to-face, never giving up in retreat. The war has already been won, but not every battle fought will end victoriously.
Secondly, each soldier was trained with others as one unit. If a soldier were attacked from the behind, another would stand with him, back-to-back, to protect him by fighting the enemy from both sides. You must learn to stand back-to-back with fellow believers, protecting each other as you fight your own spiritual battles. Prayer is the best covering you can offer your fellow soldier.
J. Prayer In The Spirit
Finally, and most importantly, you must "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:18)
1. As a Christian soldier, maintaining a strong relationship with the Father through prayer is the greatest weapon you have to use against your true enemy.
You can dress with faith, righteousness, peace, pure thoughts, and be a great student of the Word, but if you do not pray, if you do not keep in constant communication with your commander, you will not have the strength to battle against your enemy.
2. Prayer is what strengthens you to do battle because it is your lifeline.
3. Prayer is also the way you fight for and defend other Christians throughout the world. Without a consistent prayer life, you will not be an effective warrior as you enter into battle. You must always be in prayer.
4. And when you pray for fellow soldiers, they will be covered by the Holy Spirit.
K. Prepare Your Heart To Do Battle.
Before beginning His ministry, Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He didn't eat for 40 days. Although Jesus lacked food, He was strengthened and nourished through His direct and intimate communion with the Father. That is why fasting is so important. It causes you to focus directly on your Creator and Lord. This is where your true strength comes from. Some believe that the time Jesus spent fasting brought Him so close to the Father that the devil’s tempting was needed to get Him refocused on His earthly mission and to get started on the path set before Him. His holiness and the increased spiritual power released as a direct result of His fasting helped Him face the devil -- and emerge victoriously. Prayer and fasting will do the same for you.
L. Drive Out The Enemy
Jesus gave the disciples power and “authority over evil spirits.”
“They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (Mark 6:6-13 NIV)
The most common way of dealing with demons is to drive or cast them out.
1. The Greek word used here is “Ekballo” and means to forcibly chase or expel, to pull or take out.
2. It is God’s responsibility to rebuke and punish the enemy. He will “fight those who fight you.” (Isa
49:25 TLB)
3. God did not mean that you can do battle in your own power and might; “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.”
a. You must learn to fight “through God” by using the authority and might found only in the name of Jesus “to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.”
b. To guarantee victory, it is vitally important that you have a clean heart before God by “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor 10:4-5).
There was a group of Jews known as the Seven Sons of Sceva who tried to cast out demons in their strength by using the name of Jesus as an “incantation” without the direct authority and power that comes through the personal infilling of the Holy Spirit.
When they tried the “incantation” on a demon-possessed man, the demon “replied, ‘I know Jesus, and I know Paul. But who are you?’ “And he leaped on them and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and badly injured.” (Acts 19:13-16 NLT)
The authority and power that is found only in the name of Jesus must be called upon with a clean and humble heart that is fully yielded to God. Remember, it is God who rebukes the enemy, not you! Never attempt to war against the enemy in your own strength. Jude tells us that even the archangel Michael, when fighting against the enemy, “did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 9 NIV - See also Zech 3:1-2) Michael did not dare to insult the enemy by fighting with his authority. He recognized that God gave the enemy the power he has in this world, and therefore, it was only God who could rebuke and cast him and his accusations away. God’s word is “Like fire” that will consume and break the enemy “like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces..” (Jer 23:29 NIV)
M. Focus On The Good Report
1. Just as Joshua and Caleb declared a good report (Num 14:6-9 NIV), don’t focus on the enemy, focus on Jesus!!
2. It is Jesus who delivers us from the evil one!
3. Spiritual warfare is won through intimately knowing Jesus through worship and prayer.
A. Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer that you are to worship Him, rely upon Him and forgive others as He has forgiven.
B. He will deliver you from evil. (Matt 6:9-13 NIV) When you focus your heart on God's love through worship, “he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess 3:3-5 NLT) Jesus will “keep you from falling” and will ” present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” (Jude 20-24 NIV)
“Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who want above all else to follow your steps. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of springs where pools of blessing and refreshment collect after rains! They will grow constantly in strength, and each of them is invited to meet with the Lord in Zion.” (Ps 84:5-7 TLB)
N. Forgiveness Is The Strongest Weapon You Have Against The Enemy
1. Nothing does more to block the advancement of the enemy than the praise and worship of a thankful
heart that is living forgiven.
a. The enemy is always trying to distract and ensnare.
b. He wants to lure us away from worshipping God.
c. His primary method is through unforgiveness.
2. You overcome the enemy “by the blood of the lamb” through forgiveness
3. Your “testimony” by living a life of repentance and humility, laying down your life for others;
“for they did not love their lives but laid them down for him.” (Rev 12:11 TLB. See also Rev 2:4-7, 14-17)
4. Through the forgiving of all your sins by shedding His blood, Jesus took away the enemies accusations
and “canceled the record that contained the charges” against you. Jesus “disarmed the evil rulers and
authorities” and “shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” (Col 2:13-15 NLT)
5. When you humble yourself before God in prayer, repent of your sin and seek His face, He “will hear
from heaven”…“ and heal their land.” (2 Chron 7:14-16 NLT)
CONCLUSION
Remember, when you fight against another, when you don’t live your life in holiness, or you don’t forgive, you give satan a temporary victory. But also, you also give him a stronghold from which he will be able to attack you again. You are admonished to "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:9)
Neither satan nor any of his powers can keep you from walking through the door of forgiveness. God is on your side!
“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31 NIV)
God’s very essence is love. (1 John 4:8) He has always been love, even before He created you and loved you. He has always sought to have a close relationship with people.
God proved He is love by sending Jesus to walk among us and die in our place. God reached out to us in the most intimate and personal way. As a result of what Jesus did, we can now, as His children, experience how great the love of the Father is. The wonder of what that means has not yet been entirely made known.
